Pharaxonotha novoai Skelley, Tang and Pérez-Farrera, 2022

Skelley, Paul E., Tang, William & Pérez-Farrera, Miguel Angel, 2022, Review of Pharaxonotha Reitter (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae) inhabiting the cycad genus Dioon Lindl. (Cycadales), with descriptions of nine new species and comments on P. kirschii Reitter, Insecta Mundi 2022 (917), pp. 1-41 : 19-22

Pharaxonotha novoai Skelley, Tang and Pérez-Farrera , new species

Figures 7A–K , fig. 4 in Navarrette-Heredia (2018)

Diagnosis. This species is recognized by the long elytral setae surpassing neighboring punctures and by having a fringe of setae separated from and posterior of the eyes. Also, the eyes strongly encroach the mentum and the ventral interocular distance relative to head width is the shortest for any of the Pharaxonotha found on Dioon described in this paper, having a head width 2.64–2.82× ventral interocular distance.

Description. Length 3.40–3.63 mm, width 0.91–0.95 mm. General body color ( Fig. 7A–C ) pale brown, pronotum slightly darker; dorsal surface distinctly setose with long setae reaching well beyond neighboring punctures.

Head. Not broad, width = 0.70–0.71× pronotal width ( Fig. 7D–F ); in lateral view notably narrow, flattened; in dorsal view conical, gradually narrowed anteriorly, surface flat to slightly convex, finely, moderately punctured, average distance between closest punctures 2–3× width of puncture; head width 0.65–0.67 mm; dorsal interocular distance 0.38–0.39 mm, head width/dorsal interocular distance ratio 1.69–1.72, ventral interocular distance 0.23–0.25 mm, head width/ventral interocular distance ratio 2.64–2.82. Eye with large black facets, about 3× diameter of head punctures; posterior lateral margin of eye with small distinct fringe of setae separated from facets. Antennal length slightly shorter than pronotal width, 1.2× head width; antennomere I (scape) fairly large, slightly elongate; antennomere II equal in size to III; IV small, circular; V–VII same length as IV, gradually becoming wider with VIII transverse and flattened apically; club fairly large, IX and X similar in length; XI not enlarged, 1.3× longer than X, globular with rounded apex. Clypeus weakly concave anteriorly, moderately punctate. Transverse occipital line [vertexal line] absent medially. Mentum and submentum fine punctured, 1/3× diameter of facet, distance between nearest punctures approximately 2–3× own diameter, each puncture with a short seta. Gular area smooth, without punctation or setae, border with submentum marked by change in punctation.

Thorax. With pronotum transversely rectangular in dorsal view, length/width ratio 0.75–0.76; with distinct marginal carina laterally and basally, anteriorly with fine marginal carina medially; dorsally flattened; anterior angles narrowly rounded, projecting forward; posterior angles developed, angulate with small denticle at angle; lateral margin shallowly arched in medial half, more arcuate inward anteriorly and posteriorly; posterior margin slightly projecting medially, projection beginning approximately by pair of small, dark pores in margin located ¼ width from posterior angles, each pore marks base of a distinct sulcus extending anteriorly onto disc ¼ length of pronotum. Prosternum in ventral view convex, with few scattered fine punctures; anterior margin slightly emarginate, finely denticulate with row of long, anteriorly directed setae, longest setae approximately 1/3 length of eye; prosternal process flattened apically, expanded and truncate at apex. Hypomeron smooth, with few minute punctures. Scutellar shield distinctly transverse, posterior margin weakly roundly pentagonal. Elytra in dorsal view elongate, flattened dorsally; length/width 1.87–2.02, greatest width near midlength; with distinct marginal line basally; 10 complete striae of moderate puncture size; scutellary striole extending 1⁄5 elytral length, with 12–15 punctures; punctures of elytral striae 2× larger than pronotal punctures, striae weakly impressed; intervals of striae with fine, distinct punctures, ½ size of strial punctures; all punctures of elytra bearing a single long seta; seta extending past neighboring puncture. Mesoventrite with strong close punctation, surface rugose, distance between nearest punctures approximately equal to diameter of punctures. Metaventrite glossy, with moderate lateral punctation separated by 2–3× own diameter; medial surface finely distinctly punctured, separated by 4–5× own diameter; surface medially flattened, metathoracic discrimen extending approximately ¾ metaventrite length. Legs broadened, relatively similar in length and shape. Procoxa oval; mesocoxa globular; metacoxa transversely elongate-oval; trochanters obliquely truncate apically; femora robust, compressed laterally; tibiae shorter than femora, narrowly triangularly dilated to obliquely truncate apices; protibia with apical lateral tooth small, with complete apical fringe of very short stout spinules on straight ventral apical margin; meso- and metatibia with apical fringe of short stout spinules on anterior margin, finer setae on posterior margins.

Abdomen. Ventrite apical margin bearing short, dense setae; all ventrites bearing moderate, shallow punctation evenly distributed across surface, distance to nearest puncture approximately 2× diameter of puncture, punctures bearing long reclining setae; ventrite V with setae length nearly uniformly approximately 2× diameter of puncture; I–IV each with 2 or more median pairs of longer, semi-erect sensory hairs (difficult to see in poor lighting, often abraded). Male genitalia (n = 1): moderately dorsoventrally flattened; tegmen in dorsal view with basal piece ring-like; parameres in dorsal view narrowing slightly 1/3 of length from the base then expanding noticeably to maximum width at 2/3 length from base, apical 2/3 strongly asymmetric with inner margin straight and outer margin with pronounced curvature and noticeably bulging, apex rounded, in lateral view length = 3.8× width; elongate cylindrical median lobe narrowing apically; long coiled flagellum ( Fig. 7G–I ).

Female. Similar to male, sexual dimorphism weakly evident; femora, protibia and basal protarsomeres of male more broadly dilated. Genitalia (n = 1); gonostylus cylindrical, widest at apex, tapering slightly and gradually to base, set apically on gonocoxite, gonostylus length = 3.6× width ( Fig. 7J ). Spermatheca slightly arcuate, but not C-shaped, length ≈ 3.4× greatest width, asymmetric, wider in apical half, basal third with longitudinal wrinkles, apical third weakly annulated ( Fig. 7K ).

Distribution. Currently known from Jalisco, Mexico. Its host, Dioon tomaselli , also occurs in Durango, Michoacan, Nayarit and Sinaloa and this beetle’s distribution may extend to these other Mexican states.

Material examined. Holotype (by designation) male of Pharaxonotha novoai with the following labels: 1) [rectangular; white; printed in black ink] “ MEXICO: Jalisco, Cobo Corrientes, Santuaria de las Guacamayas , [GPS omitted], XI-2006 [2016], J. Novoa and A. Flores, cones of Dioon tomaselli , in Quercus forest associated with tropical deciduous forest”; 2) “ HOLOTYPE ♂ Pharaxonotha novoai Skelley, Tang and Pérez-Farrera 2022 ”. Deposited in the FSCA.

Paratypes (total 14). Allotype ( FSCA) and 13 paratypes with same data as holotype deposited in CUIC, CZUG, FSCA, IEXA, UNAM .

Etymology. The species is named for Jorge Novoa, for his conservation work on cycads and other flora and fauna at Santuaria de Guacamayas in Jalisco, Mexico.

Remarks. Pharaxonotha novoai has been found together on male Dioon tomasellii cones with a species of Allocorynina weevil: Parallocorynus (Dysicorynus) andrewsi Tang and O'Brien ( O’Brien and Tang 2015; Navarrette- Heredia 2018).

Figures

Figure 7. Pharaxonotha novoai from Cobo Corrientes, Jalisco, Mexico (A–I: male holotype; J–K: female allotype). A–C) Dorsal, lateral and ventral habitus. D–F) Head, dorsal, lateral and ventral views. G) Genital capsule attached to tegmen and median lobe, ventral view. H) Tegmen attached to median lobe, lateral view. I) Parameres of tegmen, ventral view top and lateral view bottom. J) Spermatheca with retracted ovipositor, ventral view. K)